Genesis 48
International Children’s Bible
Blessings for Manasseh and Ephraim
48 Some time later Joseph learned that his father was very sick. So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim and went to his father. 2 When Joseph arrived, someone told Jacob, also called Israel, “Your son Joseph has come to see you.” Jacob was weak. So he used all his strength and sat up on his bed.
3 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “God All-Powerful appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan. God blessed me there. 4 He said to me, ‘I will give you many children. I will make you the father of many peoples. And I will give your descendants this land forever.’ 5 Your two sons were born here in Egypt before I came. They will be counted as my own sons. Ephraim and Manasseh will be my sons just as Reuben and Simeon are my sons. 6 But if you have other children, they will be your own. But their land will be part of the land given to Ephraim and Manasseh. 7 When I came from Northwest Mesopotamia, Rachel died in the land of Canaan. We were traveling toward Ephrath. This made me very sad. I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath.” (Today Ephrath is Bethlehem.)
8 Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons. He said, “Who are these boys?”
9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons. God has given them to me here in Egypt.”
Israel said, “Bring your sons to me so I may bless them.”
10 At this time Israel’s eyesight was bad because he was old. So Joseph brought the boys close to him. Israel kissed the boys and put his arms around them. 11 He said to Joseph, “I thought I would never see you alive again. And now God has let me see you and also your children.” 12 Then Joseph moved his sons off Israel’s lap. Joseph bowed facedown to the ground. 13 He put Ephraim on his right side and Manasseh on his left. (So Ephraim was near Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh was near Israel’s right hand.) Joseph brought the boys close to Israel. 14 But Israel crossed his arms. He put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, who was younger. He put his left hand on the head of Manasseh. But he was the firstborn son. 15 And Israel blessed Joseph and said,
“My ancestors Abraham and Isaac served our God.
And like a shepherd God has led me all my life.
16 He was the Angel who saved me from all my troubles.
Now I pray that he will bless these boys.
May my name be known through these boys.
And may the names of my ancestors Abraham and Isaac be known through them.
May they have many descendants on the earth.”
17 Joseph saw that his father put his right hand on Ephraim’s head. Joseph didn’t like it. So he took hold of his father’s hand. He wanted to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 Joseph said to his father, “You are doing it wrong, Father. Manasseh is the firstborn son. Put your right hand on his head.”
19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. Manasseh will be great and have many descendants. But his younger brother will be greater. And his descendants will be enough to make a nation.”
20 So Israel blessed them that day. He said,
“When a blessing is given in Israel, they will say:
‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”
In this way he made Ephraim greater than Manasseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look at me. I am about to die. But God will be with you. He will take you back to the land of your fathers. 22 I have given you something that I did not give your brothers. I have given you the land of Shechem that I took from the Amorite people. I took it with my sword and my bow.”
Genesis 48
Het Boek
Jakob zegent de zonen van Jozef
48 Op een dag, niet lang hierna, hoorde Jozef dat zijn vader snel achteruit ging. Samen met zijn twee zonen, Manasse en Efraïm, ging hij hem bezoeken.
2 Toen Jakob hoorde dat Jozef er was, verzamelde hij al zijn krachten en ging rechtop in bed zitten om hem te begroeten. 3,4 Hij zei tegen Jozef: ‘God, de Almachtige, verscheen aan mij bij Luz in het land Kanaän. Hij zegende mij en zei: “Ik zal u tot een groot volk maken en het land Kanaän aan de kinderen van uw kinderen geven, als een eeuwig bezit.” 5 Wat je twee zonen betreft, Efraïm en Manasse, die hier in Egypte zijn geboren voordat ik aankwam, ik neem ze aan als mijn eigen kinderen en zij zullen van mij erven net als Ruben en Simeon. 6 Maar alle andere kinderen die je nog zult krijgen, zullen van jou zijn en in Efraïms en Manasses erfenis van jou delen. 7 Dit doe ik omdat je moeder Rachel stierf, toen ik uit Paddan-Aram kwam. We waren vlakbij Efrat en ik heb haar langs de weg naar Bethlehem begraven.’
8 Toen keek Israël naar Manasse en Efraïm. ‘Zijn dat je zonen?’ vroeg hij. 9 ‘Ja,’ antwoordde Jozef, ‘dit zijn de zonen die God mij hier in Egypte heeft gegeven.’ 10 Israël zei: ‘Breng ze hier bij mij, dan zal ik ze zegenen.’ Israël was op zijn hoge leeftijd half blind en kon nauwelijks zien. Jozef bracht zijn zonen vlakbij hem en hij kuste en omhelsde hen. 11 Israël zei tegen Jozef: ‘Ik had niet gedacht, dat ik jou ooit zou terugzien, maar nu heeft God mij zelfs jouw kinderen laten zien.’ 12,13 Jozef nam zijn zonen bij de hand, boog diep voor zijn vader en leidde hen naar hun grootvaders knieën. Efraïm aan Israëls linkerhand en Manasse aan zijn rechterhand. 14 Maar Israël kruiste zijn armen en legde zijn handen op de hoofden van de jonge mannen. Zo kwam zijn rechterhand te liggen op het hoofd van Efraïm, de jongste van de twee, en zijn linkerhand op het hoofd van Manasse, de oudste. Hij deed dit met opzet.
15 Toen zegende hij Jozef met de woorden: ‘Moge God, de God van mijn voorouders Abraham en Isaak, de God die mij mijn hele leven als een herder heeft geleid, deze mannen zegenen. 16 Hij is de Engel die mij in moeilijke tijden altijd heeft geholpen. Mogen Jozefs zonen de namen van mij en van mijn voorouders Abraham en Isaak eer aandoen en mogen zij tot een groot volk uitgroeien.’
17 Maar Jozef vond het onjuist dat zijn vader zijn rechterhand op Efraïms hoofd had gelegd. Hij tilde de hand op om hem op Manasses hoofd te leggen. 18 ‘Vader,’ zei hij, ‘u hebt uw rechterhand op het verkeerde hoofd! Deze hier is de oudste. Leg uw rechterhand toch op zijn hoofd.’ 19 Maar zijn vader weigerde. ‘Ik weet wat ik doe, mijn zoon,’ zei hij. ‘Manasse zal ook uitgroeien tot een groot volk, maar zijn jongere broer zal nog groter worden.’ 20 Zo zegende Jakob de jongens die dag met de woorden: ‘Moge het volk van Israël elkaar zegenen door te zeggen: “God make u als Efraïm en Manasse”.’ (Let erop dat hij Efraïm vóór Manasse noemt). 21 Toen zei Israël tegen Jozef: ‘Ik ga spoedig sterven, maar God zal met je zijn en je terugbrengen in Kanaän, het land van je voorouders. 22 En ik heb jou het land van Sichem toegedacht, in plaats van je broers, als deel van het land dat ik met het zwaard en de boog op de Amorieten heb veroverd.’
Genesis 48
King James Version
48 And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
4 And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.
5 And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.
6 And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.
7 And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.
8 And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these?
9 And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.
10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.
12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him.
14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.
18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
22 Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
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